Korean Representative Choo Mi-ae,
former chairwoman of the Korean House Environment and Labor Committee, recently
published an editorial in
the Korea Times arguing for
cohesive environmental governance in Northeast Asia.

Rep. Choo makes the point that environmental issues in Northeast Asia are not
restricted by national borders. Every spring, Korea must contend with “yellow
dust,” a microdust originating in China that pollutes the atmosphere and
contaminates rainfall. And the tsunami that struck Japan in March, 2011 had
potentially devastating implications for the Korean population, as nuclear
contamination could have spread through the atmosphere or through agricultural
imports.

Rep. Choo notes that Korea has passed a number of domestic environmental
laws. She also emphasizes the environmental safeguards built into the recent
Free Trade Agreement Korea signed with the United States. However, as a
bilateral trade agreement, the FTA is not regional in scope, and it is not
primarily concerned with environmental protection.

Instead, Rep. Choo calls for expanding the environmental governance regime in
Northeast Asia. Though NOWPAP (Northwest Pacific Action Plan) and UNEP (United
Nations Environment Programme) are currently operating in the region, she holds
up the European Environmental Agency (EEA) as a model to emulate. Regional
cooperation with multilateral agencies can provide governance over crucial
environmental issues. Though it will be politically difficult, environmental
governance in Northeast Asia can be strengthened.

Rep. Choo Mi-ae is a member of the opposition Democratic Party in the
Republic of Korea. She is a graduate of Hanyan University and earned her masters
in economics at Yonsei University. She has been serving as a representative
since 1996.